Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Li Weidong flew to the United States, came to Ford again, and met Ford CEO Bill Ford.

Bill Ford said helplessly: "Mr. Li, regarding the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover, we are in trouble. The guys from the Auto Workers Union are trying to ruin our deal."

"United Automobile Workers? Is it the union organization of automobile workers?" Li Weidong asked.

"Yes, they are the most shameless organization in the world!" Bill Ford gritted his teeth.

Li Weidong then asked, "Does the Auto Workers Union own shares in Jaguar Land Rover?"

"Of course not. They are a labor union, so why should they have shares in the company?" Bill Ford then added: "The shares of Jaguar Land Rover are 100% held by our Ford Group."

Li Weidong asked again: "Then, has your Ford Group signed a contract with the United Auto Workers regarding asset transactions? For example, does it require their consent or certain conditions to be reached before it can trade Jaguar Land Rover?"

"No, how could we sign something like that! Jaguar Land Rover is our asset!" Bill Ford said.

"In that case, what are you worried about?" Li Weidong continued: "We can continue the transaction, what does it have to do with the Auto Workers Union? Unless Ford still has reservations about the conditions we negotiated before!"

The implicit meaning of Li Weidong's words is that Ford is not satisfied with the amount of 1.5 billion and wants to change its mind?

Bill Ford hurriedly said: "Mr. Li, our Ford company is definitely sincere in completing this deal. What's more, we and the Auto Workers Union are incompatible with each other. We will not get involved with these greedy guys.

!”

Li Weidong nodded. Since Ford was not doing things behind the scenes, the pressure was relieved a lot.

Bill Ford went on to say: "Mr. Li, you must not underestimate the Auto Workers Union. Those guys are not easy to fight against. Our American automobile companies have been fighting these people for almost a hundred years, and they have almost never been able to fight against them."

I took advantage."

"One hundred years? The history of civilian cars is also one hundred years!" Li Weidong said with a smile.

"If we count from 1908, when Ford launched the T-car, it is indeed just a hundred years ago, and the Auto Workers Union has grown along with the development of our American automobile industry!"

Bill Ford sighed lightly and continued: "As the oldest automobile company in the United States, we at Ford also deal with the United Auto Workers the most often. For example, when I entered the management of Ford, my first task was

Negotiate with the United Auto Workers."

Li Weidong continued to ask: "I still have the same question as before. Firstly, the Auto Workers Union does not have shares in Jaguar Land Rover, and secondly, it has not signed any agreement with Ford. Why can they stop the transaction between us?"

Li Weidong actually asked questions knowingly, he wanted to extract more useful information from Bill Ford.

Bill Ford explained wisely: "Although the Auto Workers union has no equity and no agreement, we must pay attention to their opinions. This is the rule of running a business in the United States.

In fact, the United Auto Workers don’t really want to stop this deal, they just want to get some benefits from it, such as higher wages, better medical insurance, more retirement subsidies, etc.”

Li Weidong deliberately pretended to be suddenly enlightened, and then said: "I understand, since the boss is changing, I have to ask for more benefits from the new boss, right?"

"That's right." Bill Ford continued: "In recent years, the Auto Workers Union has taken frequent actions. In fact, even without this deal, they will still find other excuses to ask for various benefits from us automobile companies!

"

"Then if I don't plan to give them any benefits, what can they do to me?" Li Weidong said with disdain.

"At that time, the Auto Workers Union will incite workers to demonstrate, protest, march, and even go on strike. Mr. Li, I know you have several factories in China. You should know that once workers go on strike, the company will ultimately suffer the loss.

.”

Bill Ford continued: "Every day's operation of an enterprise requires costs. Only production can generate profits and offset costs. A day's strike means a day's loss. So when facing a strike, the only thing we can do is

compromise."

"When employees join the company, they should all sign a contract, right? Strikes are absenteeism, and absenteeism without reason will result in expulsion. Why not fire those workers who make trouble and recruit a new group? The United States has a developed automobile industry, which has definitely been the case in the past century.

We have trained a lot of auto workers, so why are we worried about not being able to recruit them?" Li Weidong continued.

It is very difficult to fire employees in the United States. Except for Montana, all employment rules in the United States are "at will" employment, that is, the employer can fire employees at any time, regardless of whether there is reason or not, and without prior notice.

, if you are fired, you can pack your things and leave.

This sounds like it is convenient for the employer, but in fact employees also have the same rights. Employees can also leave their jobs at any time without notice, which means that if other companies poach employees, employees can also say "I'm quitting"

", leave directly.

Bill Ford explained: "Mr. Li, although the American automobile industry is very developed and there are many workers in the automobile manufacturing industry across the United States, recruiting workers is really not an easy task.

Workers always demand higher wages, better benefits, and shorter working hours before they are willing to work. Moreover, many skilled automobile workers have union backgrounds. Recruiting such people will be more troublesome!

Maybe there will be a new round of strikes.

Rather than that, it would be better to give the workers some sweetness so that they can work steadily and at least maintain normal order for a period of time. As an enterprise, we still hope to make stable profits as our main goal."

Li Weidong pondered for a moment and then said: "In general labor movements, there will be leaders. You can fire all the leaders to serve as a warning to others. Without the leader, other workers will not dare to cause trouble again."

"You must not do that!" Bill Ford shook his head hurriedly, and then continued: "In that case, the contract worker will become a hero, he will gain higher prestige, become a cadre of the union, and then incite more

workers to deal with you!"

Li Weidong couldn't help but think of the employee named Smalls who was fired by Amazon. Because Amazon has never had a union, this guy organized a labor movement and demanded the formation of a union. Finally, a small-scale strike was held, and then he was fired by Amazon.

.

As a result, this guy turned into a labor leader. He first raised funds through the union website, and then used the funds raised to organize a barbecue party, ordering hot dogs, pizza and beer, and treating the workers to dinner. Meat products are not expensive in the United States anyway.

The cost of hosting a barbecue party is not high either.

Next, he posted photos of the event online, building momentum and continuing to raise funds. People who didn't know the truth saw that the events were held quite frequently here, and there were many people participating, so his fame gradually grew.

Got up.

As his fame grew, more and more people came to eat and drink, the activities became bigger and bigger, and funds were constantly raised. Finally, after holding barbecue parties for two years, Smalls finally

Enough signatures were collected to launch a campaign to establish an Amazon union.

In the end, the Amazon union was successfully established. This employee who had been fired by Amazon not only became the leader of the Amazon union, but also became a well-known figure in the United States. He appeared on a TV show, made a YouTube video, and led workers to cause trouble.

If you extort a sum of money from a company, your life will be quite comfortable. If live streaming became popular in the United States, this guy could become a billionaire.

Just listen to Bill Ford continue to say: "Mr. Li, based on my many years of experience in dealing with the Automobile Federation, I think that in this situation, it is best to negotiate with people from the Automobile Workers Union.

Of course, you don’t have to agree to all their demands, and they don’t expect you to agree to all their demands. Negotiation is a process of mutual compromise. You can just give them some sweeteners and let them explain to the workers.”

Li Weidong listened with a smile on his face as Bill Ford taught him how to negotiate with the union. He waited until Bill Ford finished beeping before he said goodbye and left.

After Li Weidong walked away, Bill Ford immediately dialed a phone number.

"Mr. Jewell, the Chinese just left my place, and he should contact you soon. Don't worry, I have suggested to him that we should compromise with you as much as possible. When the specific negotiations are held, you only need to lower the level a little."

The Chinese will probably agree to your request!"

…

Li Weidong left Ford.

As for what Bill Ford said, Ford Company and the United Auto Workers were at odds with each other, and Li Weidong only believed half of it.

Ford and the labor union have been entangled for nearly a century, and the two sides have reached countless agreements. Li Weidong doesn't believe that Ford's senior management has no friendship with the union leaders.

As for the United Auto Workers, Li Weidong has naturally heard of it for a long time. This is an organization that American automobile companies can never get around.

The original intention of establishing trade union organizations was naturally to fight for the interests of workers. However, after more than a hundred years of development, American trade unions have become resistance to industrial production. It is no exaggeration to say that American trade unions are definitely the largest bureaucratic interest groups in the United States.

.

After the Civil War, American industry began to develop vigorously. At that time, American workers worked harder than 996. It was normal to work fourteen to five hours a day, without weekends, and the wages were still low.

So on May 1, 1886, workers in Chicago held a large march, which resulted in a suppression by the Chicago police. Later, in order to celebrate this event this year, May 1 each year was designated as International Labor Day.

It may be difficult for ordinary people to imagine that such a holiday actually originated in the largest capitalist country in the world. As the origin of May Day Labor Day, the United States does not have a May Day Labor Day itself.

It’s also thanks to the fact that Labor Day originated in the United States that Koreans don’t dare to steal.

After the Chicago strike, union organizations began to sprout up all over the United States. From the textile industry, to the mining industry, to the steel industry, in just a few decades, almost all industrial categories had specialized unions.

However, after World War II, the nature of labor unions in the United States gradually changed. Many labor unions began to become corporatized. Labor organizations are no longer mass organizations, but more and more like a company, with professional managers who mediate disputes.

Consulting fees will be charged, and workers' activities will even be held from time to time, just to obtain "enshrinement" from the company.

For many Americans at the bottom, if they want to escape poverty and become rich, in addition to being athletes, they can also become union leaders.

Because every time there is an election, candidates need workers to vote, and union leaders will play a crucial role at this time.

The most typical example is Woodacre. He was once the chairman of the United Auto Workers. Because he helped Carter campaign, he became the director of Carter's Liaison Office in China. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, he became the ambassador to China. The unemployed young man succeeded.

Establishing civil servants in the transition zone.

Many of the U.S. ambassadors abroad are not professional diplomats. Most of them are political mediocre people. Such people know almost nothing about diplomacy. Real diplomacy still has the final say of the Secretary of State.

Nowadays, unions in the United States are obviously hindering the development of enterprises, so many companies are clearly opposed to unions.

In many traditional industries, trade unions have already emerged, and companies have no choice but to let it go. In emerging industries, trade unions have not had time to be established, so companies are doing everything possible to prevent the establishment of trade unions.

For example, Amazon mentioned earlier will fire anyone who dares to organize a union. In order to prevent the establishment of a union, Amazon also spent money to file lawsuits and sue the process of establishing a union as illegal. After more than ten years of obstruction, until April 2022, Amazon

The trade union was just established.

Apple, another major technology giant in the United States, is also opposed to labor unions. It was not until June 2022 that Apple’s employees established Apple’s first labor union in a retail store.

Among the many unions in the United States, the most powerful is the United Auto Workers.

The reason for this is, firstly, that the U.S. automobile industry is strong enough and has many automobile workers. With more people and greater strength, it naturally has the strength to challenge the bosses.

The second reason is that because the profits of the automobile industry are relatively large, whenever automobile workers go on strike, automobile companies often take lenient measures to increase wages and benefits for workers. Over time, American automobile workers’ salaries are higher, and the union’s funds are

It's also quite sufficient.

If it needs people and money, the Auto Workers Union will naturally develop and grow.

The older the automobile company, the longer it has been dealing with the United Auto Workers, and the higher the wages of its workers will be.

The company with the highest wages for auto workers in the United States is Chrysler's plant in Alabama, followed by General Motors and Ford Motor plants. These three major American auto manufacturers have also been intersecting with the United Auto Workers for the longest time.

.

The wages of workers at Japan's three major car companies, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, are at the mid-range level. This is because Japanese car companies began to build factories in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, and have only had 40 years of dealings with the automobile unions.

Germany's BMW and Volkswagen, as well as South Korea's Hyundai, offer workers the lowest wages and have the shortest time dealing with the Automobile Federation.

Although Germany's automobile manufacturing industry is very strong, German car companies built factories in the United States relatively late. For example, Volkswagen's Passat, a generation of legendary car, did not start production in the United States until its seventh generation. At that time, the Passat model was very fast.

Yellow.

South Korea's Hyundai Kia only increased its investment in the United States after 2010. Since the "THAAD" incident, this brand has made it clear that it will abandon the Chinese market.

As for Tesla, there is no need to mention it. Elon Musk wants to scold the union 800 times a day.

The major car companies naturally hate the United Auto Workers, but they have no choice. In order to avoid greater losses, the capitalists can only continue to compromise with the union.

Now that Li Weidong has just raised the funds to acquire Jaguar Land Rover, the Auto Workers Union has come out to cause trouble. In fact, it is taking the opportunity to collect protection fees.

Before the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, it was probably the last glorious moment of the Auto Workers union.

This year, the United Auto Workers held a joint general strike in 14 states, forcing Chrysler to spend US$11 billion to improve workers' welfare, which directly led to Chrysler filing for bankruptcy.

This time, about 42,000 workers benefited from the union movement, which is equivalent to an average profit of 260,000 US dollars per worker. But in the end, the workers obviously did not get so much, and in the end they almost lost their jobs because Chrysler filed for bankruptcy.

.As for where the money went, only the devil knows!

Not content with killing Kreiske, the United Auto Workers union targeted General Motors again. It was also a strike, and General Motors also filed for bankruptcy.

After killing two major auto companies, the United Auto Workers also fell into decline, and many auto workers quit the organization.

Workers just want better wages and benefits, not losing their jobs. You have bankrupted the boss, and I have lost my job, and I still have a few benefits!

The funds of the Auto Workers Union, in addition to contributions from automobile companies, mainly come from auto workers' dues. After auto workers join this union, they need to pay 5% of their salary as dues, and the union will help workers fight for their rights.

After all, this is the United States, and everything depends on money. If you don’t pay, who will do the work for you? Those public intellectuals who are bragging about American labor unions can stop for a while.

The workers have quit, the membership dues received by the Auto Workers Union have been significantly reduced, operations will be difficult, and the momentum will not be as strong as before.

Of course, that is the future of the Auto Workers. In 2007, the UAW was by far the most powerful organization in the United States and the most feared by entrepreneurs.

…

The next day, Li Weidong met with the negotiator sent by the Auto Workers Union.

The visitor's name is Norwood Jewell. In the future, he will become the vice president of the United Auto Workers, and then he will be sentenced to fifteen months in prison for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from car companies.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the car company deliberately set a trap and sent this guy to jail.

It is also a common phenomenon in American labor unions to enjoy the benefits of both sides. After eating, the workers eat the company, and then you make a lot of money. If you are lucky, you can help a political figure in the election, and you can also make a wave of political capital.

Today, Norwood-Jewell is wearing a blue T-shirt on the upper body and khaki casual pants on the lower body. He looks like an ordinary worker.

This is the standard dress for American union cadres. Although they make a lot of money, they will never wear suits and ties like Wall Street elites.

T-shirts and casual pants make them look more like ordinary workers, while blue T-shirts are closer to the color of work clothes, which also shows that they represent the majority of blue-collar workers. When workers see this outfit, they will trust them more.

After all, this is a trade union organization that has been developed for hundreds of years, and there are still many such detailed tricks.

After introducing each other, Norwood-Jewell said directly: "Chairman Li, on behalf of the United Auto Workers and all the workers in Bemher, I oppose your acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover!"

"Why do you object?" Li Weidong asked with a smile.

"Your acquisition will harm the rights of our workers!" Norwood-Jewell said with a stern expression.

"Then what rights and interests of your workers will be harmed?" Li Weidong looked like he was asking the question.

Norwood-Jewell was slightly stunned, thinking that this is just a rhetoric, just the opening remarks for us to negotiate terms, why do you take it seriously?

However, Norwood-Jewell was still thick-skinned. He was not embarrassed at all, but said: "Our workers have many rights and interests that will be harmed, and I won't list them all here!

But our requirement is clear, you must give up the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover. Of course, if you are willing to agree to the conditions we propose, we can relax this requirement."

As he spoke, Norwood Jewell took out a document and handed it to Li Weidong. At the same time, he said: "Our requirements are not complicated. They mainly include an increase in salary, an increase in paid leave, and an increase in medical insurance and dental coverage.

, increasing pension subsidies, and providing financial support for trade union activities.”

Li Weidong took the document without even looking at it, but threw it directly on the table and said at the same time: "I can't agree to any of what you said!"

Li Weidong's attitude made Norwood Jewell very unhappy. He thought that Bill Ford had given Li Weidong enough hints, and Li Weidong would agree to some conditions to meet the requirements of the Automobile Federation, but he did not.

I think Li Weidong didn't even look at these conditions and directly rejected them.

"Mr. Li, do you think you are going to negotiate with us?" Norwood-Jewell looked ferocious, and then said threateningly: "In that case, let me inform you that the Jaguar Land Rover Bemhur Factory

The workers will go on strike from now on!"

Norwood Jewell also became tougher. He thought that this would definitely scare Li Weidong, but Li Weidong shrugged with an indifferent expression and said at the same time: "Then you go on strike! But I have to remind you.

You, if you dare to go on strike, I will fire you Yuyu!"

Norwood-Jewell was stunned. He had worked in the union for many years and had participated in many negotiations. This was the first time he had seen such a tough employer.